Welcome to a look back at this year’s Winter Comic Market (Comiket, C105). This was my first time participating in the event as a circle member.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do as much as I wanted; I had initially planned on completing a full novel style book to release at the event, in both English and Japanese, but various circumstances got in the way (work related and then I got sick with pneumonia)… so I was only able to release a very short snippet of my fanfic story based within the Penny Blood world.
I also wanted to showcase my friend Kubaushi’s artwork, so that’s why I tried to sell some postcards and photos with the key visual that he created for me.
I also got a lot of help from a good friend, Keisuke, who joined me to set up and helped throughout the day. He typically goes to events like this to participate as a cosplayer, but this time, he didn’t dress up as anyone. If anyone is interested in checking out some of his work, you can find him on Twitter here.
Here’s a quick look at my booth and crazy me sitting there all day. I am not a fan of the cold, so I might try to avoid winter events in the future (we’ll see), but I think I’m much more capable of handling hot temperatures than I am with cold ones…
Here, I was selling 3 different things:
- Story Preview page (EN/JP) – 200 yen
- Postcard Set of 2 – 300 yen
- 2L Size Photo – 500 yen
Most people who stopped by decided to combine the story preview with the postcards for an easy 500 yen, but I was shocked that some people actually bought they preview alone as it is. My booth neighbor was one of these kind souls! Thank you!
▶︎ Sales
- Preview: 5
- Postcard Sets: 3
- Photos: 0
So, as far as turn-out goes, not too many people stopped by and actually purchased something, BUT many people did stop by to chat, and for that I’m eternally grateful!! Since my memory is super bad, I took a tally of how many people came by… which was about 9 people, including my kind booth neighbors!
Suffice it to say, I did not end my first Comiket endeavour in the black– I probably printed too many things in anticipation, but this was not unexpected. I mostly wanted to give a presence for Penny Blood at Comiket at all.
Here’s a view from my booth. Actually, the location was REALLY good, right at the front of the hall and sort of in a rather visible area. For that reason, I was glad that I made a large tapestry to catch people’s eyes, even if they didn’t stop by.
I’m also wondering if I should have put the title of the series on the tapestry… I wanted to avoid it a little simply because I’m an unofficial fan, but maybe I should have posted it somewhere recognizable… I’m sort of learning as I go, so if anyone has any advice, that’d be super-duper!
I also took a few photos from before the general public was let in and after, although I don’t think I took a photo during the afternoon, after the fast-pass time period expired.
So, my first experience as a circle member at Comiket was exactly what I imagined it to be — I wasn’t expecting much or to really sell a whole lot, it was mostly just to learn the ropes for what to do next time!
That being said, I might try for Summer next year! So, if you can, please cheer me on! Every little bit of encouragement goes a long way!